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Single Idea 10460

[filed under theme 19. Language / B. Reference / 5. Speaker's Reference ]

Full Idea

If one ducks starts quacking furiously, and you say 'that duck is excited', it isn't context that makes me take it that you are referring to the quacking duck. You could be referring to a quiet duck you recognise by its distinctive colour.

Gist of Idea

'That duck' may not refer to the most obvious one in the group

Source

Kent Bach (What Does It Take to Refer? [2006], 22.2 L3)

Book Ref

'Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Language', ed/tr. Lepore,E/Smith,B [OUP 2008], p.545

A Reaction

A persuasive example to make his point against the significance of context in conversational reference. Speaker's intended reference must always trump any apparent reference suggested by context.

The 21 ideas from 'What Does It Take to Refer?'

10440 An object can be described without being referred to [Bach]
10439 What refers: indefinite or definite or demonstrative descriptions, names, indexicals, demonstratives? [Bach]
10441 If we can refer to things which change, we can't be obliged to single out their properties [Bach]
10446 Fictional reference is different inside and outside the fiction [Bach]
10447 We can refer to fictional entities if they are abstract objects [Bach]
10442 We can think of an individual without have a uniquely characterizing description [Bach]
10443 You 'allude to', not 'refer to', an individual if you keep their identity vague [Bach]
10444 Definite descriptions can be used to refer, but are not semantically referential [Bach]
10445 It can't be real reference if it could refer to some other thing that satisfies the description [Bach]
10455 Free logic at least allows empty names, but struggles to express non-existence [Bach]
10454 In first-order we can't just assert existence, and it is very hard to deny something's existence [Bach]
10453 In logic constants play the role of proper names [Bach]
10452 Proper names can be non-referential - even predicate as well as attributive uses [Bach]
10456 Millian names struggle with existence, empty names, identities and attitude ascription [Bach]
10457 Since most expressions can be used non-referentially, none of them are inherently referential [Bach]
10459 Context does not create reference; it is just something speakers can exploit [Bach]
10460 'That duck' may not refer to the most obvious one in the group [Bach]
10458 People slide from contextual variability all the way to contextual determination [Bach]
10461 What a pronoun like 'he' refers back to is usually a matter of speaker's intentions [Bach]
10462 Information comes from knowing who is speaking, not just from interpretation of the utterance [Bach]
10463 Just alluding to or describing an object is not the same as referring to it [Bach]